One thing about being a Smiths fan is that there is no middle ground... it's all about either loving them or just plainly not getting it. My friends during the short time the Smiths were around, couldn't really understand my obsession. I have to say, obsession is putting it lightly... this was life changing for me. When I bought the first album, it was the start of something I could never shake and while I was in a minority here in NZ, I could see the same obsession, with people (and the press) in the UK. To me Morrissey and Marr were the same as Lennon and McCartney or Jagger and Richards to a lot of other people.... a pairing that doesn't happen too often. When it comes to the greatest albums ever lists, forget about 'Pet Sounds', 'Revolver' and to a lesser degree 'Highway 61 Revisited' (my number 2), 'The Queen is Dead' is always on the top of my list. "There is a Light" is from that album, which came out in 1986 and is a classic slice of Johnny Marr's jangly guitar and Morrissey's wry lyrics and unique singing style that they had perfected by this album. Unfortunately they never ever toured here and when I was in the UK around the time this was released, they weren't touring at the time. I did get to see Morrissey on a solo tour here and Johnny Marr with The The and then with Neil Finn more recently.... but never Morrissey and Marr together. The 80's shouldn't be remembered for synth pop... the 80's should be remembered for THE SMITHS!!!
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